


Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot

by merlin07



Category: David Tennant - Fandom
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-24
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-08-10 19:45:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 22,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7858684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlin07/pseuds/merlin07
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to With Friends Like These</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"New Mexico?" The Master sighed, "that's a vast wasteland of desert and cactuses."

"The correct term is cacti," The Doctor interjected.

"Well, that's where the filming takes place," David was in his room at the TARDIS choosing some clothes to pack into an overnight case, "and I can't just show up in a blue box so we'll need to park somewhere near the airport they're sending a car to pick me up," he snapped the case shut, "you don't have to stay, you can just drop me off and come back after the shoot."

"I like New Mexico," The Doctor smiled, "Roswell, and all. In fact they have had the main controller from a Cyberman since 1947 and I think they're still trying to figure it out."

"Isn't that a good thing?" David asked sitting on the bed.

"Oh yes!" the thin Time Lord laughed, "it seems 'someone' put the idea in their head that it's just the remains of a Canadian weather balloon."

"I would have told them it was an ash tray," The Master snorted, "at least that would have been more original."

"What's the movie about?" The Doctor asked.

"Vampires," David shuddered remembering his real life encounter with the all-too-real brood and his time as a mobile blood bank, "but luckily this is all make-believe. No real vampires this time."

The other occupants of the TARDIS smiled at his words, unknowing and unaware that they were to soon to be spectacularly proven wrong.

"So do you get to pretend to be a vampire?" The Master asked, "get to suck on some pretty co-star's neck?"

"Sadly, no," David laughed, "maybe next time."

"Please tell me these aren't going to be the sparkly kind that seem to be way too popular these days? I have never met one that sparkled, well, if they manage to catch on fire, which they do have a tendency to if sprinkled with holy water and then lit aflame, and the smell is just impossible to get out of one's clothing...." The Doctor stopped aware that the other two were regarding him like he had suddenly sprouted an additional head, "theoretically that is," he finished quickly.

"Don't even ask," The Master cautioned the actor.

"I wasn't planning to," David assured him.

As if he had just realised what David had said The Doctor looked at the actor with a frown, "what's wrong with turning up with the TARDIS? You aren't ashamed of her are you?"

"Absolutely not!" the actor protested, "but just think of how hard it would be to explain you and him," he pointed to The Master, "and avoid getting locked up in a loony bin" he thought to himself then aloud again, "besides I'm pretty sure there is something like a Torchwood based there and they might try to confiscate her."

That seemed to mollify the Time Lord, who patted the wall next to the bed affectionately, "true," he smiled, "she is very special."

"Ha! 'She' is a broken down piece of junk that you only got your grubby mitts on because it was being sold for scrap," The Master rolled his eyes, "I swear you two should just elope or something, it's just a stupid outmoded time capsule."

"I'd watch your step for the next few days," The Doctor cautioned.

The Master rubbed the sore spot on his shin from the last time he had insulted the TARDIS, he had walked into a small table in the dark that hadn't been there up until the very moment his leg collided with it, "your ship is a total..."

"Manners!" the thin Time Lord cut him off. Then stepping to the doorway, "time to get you to New Mexico!" he announced before bounding off to the console room.

The Master rose too, "do you think they have spas there? I could use a good massage and a cigar and a dry martini."

"I can ask around," David offered.

"You know for a misbegotten mongrel who shouldn't even exist you do have your uses," The Master patted him on the shoulder.

David watched him walk away in stunned disbelief before shaking his head with a wry smile, "thanks...I think."

The Doctor had parked the TARDIS behind a row of fuelling tanks at the airport. Before disembarking David wrote down his hotel information, and extended an open invitation for them to drop in any time.

As turned towards the terminal he heard the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS taking off, and turned around just in time to see it wink away into nothingness. Smiling as he turned back around David picked up his bags and headed to the waiting car.


	2. Chapter 2

The TARDIS landed outside the International UFO Museum hidden behind a row of industrial bins and The Doctor stepped out. The Master had been grumbling about their chosen destination way before they even came to rest there, trying instead to convince his fellow Time Lord to stop at one of the famous hot springs spas instead.

"Why do you want to look at a bunch of space junk and questionable artefacts?"

"I lost the key to the city that I was given on Tonbur, it was gold plated and had a lot of LEDs that blinked off and on and if you turned it upside down it showed the Empress completely...well, anyway I want to see if they found it, and maybe get it back," The Doctor gestured at the building.

"That's it? That's the only reason you want to go there?" The Master snorted, "I have a hard time believing that."

"Well...." The Doctor breathed out, "and there's something in there sending out a distress signal."

"Now the truth comes out," the other Time Lord nodded, "you were never very good at lying."

When they got to the door of the museum and approached the information desk The Doctor pulled out the psychic paper and held it up for the guard to see. The man reeled back, pulled out of his lethargy and stood up with a wheeze, "sir! If we had known you were coming we could have arranged a proper tour!"

"That would ruin the element of surprise," The Doctor smiled winningly.

The guard took off down the short corridor to some offices at a hurried gallop calling out that he would get the director immediately.

"What does that say?" The Master squinted at the back of the wallet holding the paper.

The thin Time Lord turned it around, "apparently that I'm high ranking official from the British UFO Research Association."

"What does it say I am?"

"My personal assistant," The Doctor grinned.

The Master's face darkened as he folded his arms across his chest to glower at his fellow Time Lord, "that would be the day..." he growled.

\----

David got into the car that the film company had sent for him, settling into the back seat. The driver had taken his bags without a word the minute he was spotted, and continuing his silence opened the door and gestured for David to get inside.

Dubbing him "Mr. Sunshine" in his mind David decided to try to open one of the windows but found it was locked, "excuse me?" he called to the driver, clicking the switches for the windows, "I think these are stuck."

The driver didn't respond so David leaned forward and tapped the man on the shoulder, and tried again, "could you please unlock..." he started. The driver replied by closing the partition between the front and back seats almost catching the actor's hand in it as it slammed shut.

David sat back with a yelp of surprise, then shaking his head in disbelief at this odd behaviour he made a mental note to make sure that he got a different driver for the return trip.

They pulled up in front of the hotel and the driver opened the boot to get the bags out, seeming to forget he also had a passenger. Not one for waiting on ceremony, David tried to open the car door himself but found it too was locked. In fact both of them were.

After what seemed like hours the driver finally opened the door to let him out, then grabbing the actor by the arm, hauled him and his bags to the door of the hotel, "in!" was all he said before dropping the bags and lumbering back to the car.

"Right...." David sighed. As he bent to pick up his bags the driver gunned the car sending gravel and smoke flying from the tyres. Watching the strange sight as the car disappeared in cloud of dust David hoped the hotel staff would be a bit more normal.

\----

“You must be Doctor James McCrimmon!” the tall flame haired woman approached the The Doctor with her hand extended and what appeared to be her mega-watt charm the dignitaries smile on her face 

“Yes,” The Doctor smiled back, “I must be!”

She didn’t let his puzzling response faze her, “it’s both a surprise and an honour to finally meet you!”

The Master mumbled under this breath, “like she has the first idea who ‘James McCrimmon’ is…”

“Behave,” The Doctor whispered.

“What brings you to visit at this time?” the woman asked her smile not fading one jot, “we haven’t had any new artefacts lately and as you know our funding is on the verge of being cut.”

“That’s exactly why we’re here,” The Master piped up, trying to sound important, “the funding.”

“I’m sorry,” she toned her smile down when gazing at the dark suited pony-tailed man, “and you are?”

“Paul Jones,” The Doctor gestured at his fellow Time Lord, “he’s my faithful assistant and house boy.”

“In your dreams,” The Master snorted.

This time his comment was loud enough for the woman to hear, she looked at The Doctor in surprise, “he’s just a bit cranky from jet lag” the Time Lord explained.

The woman blinked a few times, but then regained her composure, “this way then gentleman!” she gestured for them to follow her inside the museum.


	3. Chapter 3

The note left for him in reception said that someone from the film set would be collecting him within an hour so David got his room key and got unpacked quickly before freshening up and waiting for the call.

Taking a moment to survey his surroundings David smiled at the Old West Theme of the décor. Cool South-western tones with lots of pictures of cowboys, mountains and real hand tooled leather on the headboard. Idly wondering if the bellboys wore spurs and carried lassos he took a seat in one of the cowhide chairs. 

Suddenly he felt a slight breeze, "air conditioning turning on?" he wondered. But looking up he could see that the vents were placed high in the walls, almost to the ceilings. 

"Hello again," a voice came mere metres from him. David looked at the other chair in surprise, a chair that moments before had not been occupied to find a familiar looking man, dark hair and light eyes smiling at him.

"How did you get in?" David started, then he flashed on something, a dark room, vampires.... He stood up backing away, "I know you. Dmitri isn't it? "

"You're good with names," the man smiled up at him, his somewhat elongated teeth gleaming in the sunlight, "you're looking much better than the last time I saw you. I trust you are well?"

"What are you doing here?" David continued to back up, determined to get to the door before Dmitri could attack, should he be planning to that is.

"Relax," the other man cooed, "if I had wanted to feed from you you would never have seen me coming. I'm not here for that, I'm here because I thought it best you and I have a little chat in private before you get to the film set."

"And why is that?"

"Because we're bound to run into each other and I don't want you 'outing' me so to speak," Dmitri made the quoting gesture with his fingers.

Deciding that the vampire was on the up and up, David inched back to his seat, not taking his eyes of the other man, "explain, please?"

"I am a silent partner in this film," Dmitri smiled, "part bank roller and part creative consultant. Most of the 'vampires' are mere human actors, but some of the day players and a few of the writers are the genuine thing."

"You're involved in making a film regarding vampires?"

"Well, who better? I mean I bet you could write a hell of a lot on Time Lords now with great conviction," the vampire laughed. Then he grew serious, "I didn't get much of a chance to get to know you last meeting. But The Doctor thought quite highly of you and you seem a sensible sort. This is how I make my living, there's not a lot of money in hunting and feeding from mortals. Unless you target the rich and have a knack for picking pockets, etc."

"You're not hunting on the set though, right?" David asked.

"Heavens no!" Dmitri looked horrified, "that would be totally unprofessional and really quite dangerous. 'Fred' was not a very sophisticated person before he became vampire, and it showed in the lack of skill and stealth he had afterwards."

"I promise your secret's safe with me," the actor assured him.

"Good!"

The two men were silent a moment, then David spoke, "there's something else, isn't there?"

Dmitri smiled, "The Doctor said you were a very perceptive and clever sort. I'm looking forward to seeing you work!"

Not falling for the attempt to side track him with flattery David pressed on, "so what is it?"

"As I said, 'most' of the vampires in the film are just actors, not real vampires..."

"But some are?"

Dmitri nodded, "I can vouch for some of them, and they have been told you are not on the menu and will have to answer to me if they try anything."

"And the others?"

"They're a different story. Just be careful," Dmitri cautioned, he looked like he was about say more when the hotel's phone rang.

"Hang on," David gestured and reached for the phone, just as he picked it up he turned to see the chair was now empty. Dmitri had disappeared.


	4. Chapter 4

"Don't you ever get tired of being the universe's saviour? Doesn't it ever tempt you to just say 'hang it all' and let it take care of itself for once?" The Master sighed as they walked further into the museum, "especially these stupid little apes..."

The woman heard just the last bit, "we don't have apes here Mr. Jones," she frowned at him, "all of our artefacts are E.T. in origin."

"Call him Paul," The Doctor grinned, as his fellow Time Lord shot him a deadly glare, "and you misunderstood he said he shouldn't have eaten all those grapes."

"Oh, I see," the woman's frown deepened, clearly now very confused.

They passed a doorway, where a young black woman was bent over some bit of equipment, the woman looked up and they saw that covering one eye was a jeweller's loupe. Their guide continued her walk down the hall, but when she turned to talk to them she realised that the taller, thinner man, the one who had introduced himself as James McCrimmon was no longer by her side.

"Doctor McCrimmon?" she peaked into the room they had just passed, "James?" she ventured trying to get his attention. He was hovering over the work table mere centimetres from the surface clearly getting in the way of the researcher's efforts. For her part the young woman didn't seem to mind in fact she was smiling at Doctor McCrimmon fondly.

"Miranda," she cleared her throat, "is this man bothering you?"

"Not at all Miss Kain," Miranda shook her head, "in fact he just showed me how to turn this on!" she held up the small ovoid shaped object.

"And do we know what it is Doctor McCrimmon?" Miss Kain asked. 

The Doctor looked behind him, trying to see who she was talking to, until The Master whispered, "she's talking to you, moron."

"Yes!" The Doctor smiled widely, "It's a Yeriti game ball. It's played like marbles, this one is worth about ten points, the black ones over there are worth more. You rub it like so," he demonstrated by stroking his long fingers over the smooth surface, "and then set it down..." with that he placed it down on the worktable, and it emitted a soft whistling sound as it spun rapidly its off balance orbit dizzying to watch, before coming to rest on the edge of the table.

Miss Kain sighed, "so it's not a weapon?"

"Hardly," The Doctor laughed, "although if you launched it hard enough as someone's head it would sting a bit."

The woman took the ball from the table, glaring at it like it was somehow the object's fault that it was not anything more than a toy. Then she walked over to a waste bin and dropped it inside. Seeming to forget her distinguished guests she swore as she kicked the bin. Then remembering herself she looked at the two men a moment, "I have to make a phone call," she pointed vaguely at the door, "Miranda can you show these gentleman around, and when you're done bring them to my office?"

Miranda nodded and all three watched Miss Kain leave the room. Once she was gone Miranda jumped up from her chair, "Doctor!" she grinned giving him a big hug, "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon!"

Then her file slipped as she nodded towards The Master, "see you're traveling with him again..." she sneered.

"I'm just as happy to see you too," The Master rolled his eyes at her, "another discarded pet and soppy reunion."

"Did you send the distress signal?" The Doctor asked.

She frowned, "what distress signal?"

"You didn't think he was here to see you did you?" The Master laughed.

Ignoring his fellow Time Lord The Doctor explained, "we picked up a distress signal, and it was coming from here."

Miranda looked around the workshop, "most of this stuff is discards, space trash, or as you just discovered, toys. UNIT put me here for the summer to see if there is anything of value. Aside from a laser spanner.."

"You found my laser spanner?" The Doctor smiled widely, "I thought Emmeline Pankhurst's family must have it stashed in some steamer trunk in their attic!"

"I'll get it back to you," Miranda smile matched the Time Lord's, "but the rest of the stuff in this workshop is pretty useless."

"What about the rest of the collection?" The Master asked, "unless your spanner is feeling lonely I doubt it sent the distress signal."

"Good point," the thin Time Lord agreed, "I think it's time for that tour!"


	5. Chapter 5

Dmitri was amused when he saw David coming out of wardrobe, "that is quite the outfit," he chortled, "I hope you're not sore with me, it was hard to resist."

"This was your idea?" David laughed looking down at the tight leather trousers and open shirt.

Dmitri nodded, "but to be honest, I didn't expect you to pull it off quite as...." he stopped realising he was ogling, "sorry. Anyway, you look great."

"Thanks," the actor smiled, "not my usual choice of gear that's for sure."

Before Dmitri could say anything else a PA ran up to them, "make up's ready for you," she pointed her clipboard at David, "come on!"

Dmitri whistled softly as the actor strode away, "I think I need a cold shower," he sighed.

Other eyes were watching David leave, their thoughts were a bit less warm, however. The eyes narrowed at they saw Dmitri standing there, then quickly focused back on the actor. His smell, the heat of his body, the throbbing of his veins. At that last thought a pink tongue poked out of a pair of lush lips, licking them as if tasting the very air the thin man had breathed out. 

Remembering herself she let a vacuous stare replace the almost feral expression she had been wearing, and followed the delicious scent.

As he first approached the make up trailer it seemed deserted. But the minute he sat down in the chair a woman appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and draped a make-up cape around his shoulders and leaned in to fasten the snaps.

"Hello," David smiled at her by tilting his head back to gaze up at her. Then looking at the mirror in front of him to continue to talk to her in a more comfortable position he blinked in surprise. 

At first her smile seemed to reveal long sharp teeth at the edges of her lips, but giving the image a second look he decided it was a trick of the light. Must have vampires on the brain, he chided himself.

The woman said nothing, just got to work, she turned the chair so David was sitting back to the mirror and started to apply the first coat of make-up, as she leaned in to brush foundation on his cheek her eyes focused on the pulse point on his neck, and she longed to sink her teeth into it, drink the warm blood that thrummed just below the surface. 

Willing herself to look away she continued on. Now is not the time, she repeated like a mantra, but later?

\----

Miranda was about the conclude the tour, The Doctor and The Master looked bored and whatever it was that sent the distress signal appeared to be silence for now. The artefacts in the museum were on the whole pretty routine. Bit of space craft, technology that even if it was working no one on Earth, well, no human, Miranda corrected herself, would know how to operate.

The Master yawned loudly, "well that was fascinating. We must do this again sometime, I'm going to pencil you in for the year 5027 OK?"

The Doctor shot him a glare, then turned to Miranda, "are there any other storage rooms? A forgotten shelf or someplace else we can look?" he had the sonic screwdriver out and was scanning the area. Suddenly he whipped around, "it's coming from out there!" he gestured in the general area of a court yard.

"There's nothing out there but a few rocks, sand and some rather pathetic looking shrubbery," The Master protested.

"Not everything alien looks humanoid, or is very large," The Doctor countered.

Miranda opened the door to the outside, the wall of heat hitting her with a smack, "I haven't been outside all day, whew this place is hot!"

The thin Time Lord walked over to one spot, near a small outcropping of weeds, "then why is this area so cold?

The young woman joined The Doctor, "there's ice on that cactus," she pointed, "and those rocks are covered with frost!"

The Master kicked one of the stones with the toe of his shoe, "maybe there's an E.T. snow cone machine under the sand," he offered unhelpfully.

The Doctor scanned the area with his sonic screwdriver, "there's definitely an unknown energy signature nearby."

"Buried under the ground?" Miranda's eyes were wide.

"Hmmm..." came the response. Just as The Doctor bent down to get a closer look the woman called Miss Kain rejoined them.

"What are you doing out here?" she snapped at them, "what is so interesting about scrub brush?"

"You told her to give us the tour," The Master laughed, "she's just being thorough. You can't expect your employees to understand what you mean if you don't tell them outright.."

Both Miranda and The Doctor stared at him, stunned by his sudden turn about in attitude. Miss Kain just glared at him, "Mr. Jones..." she started.

"Call me Paul," The Master corrected her, provoking a giggle from Miranda.

Whatever Miss Kain was going to say was interrupted as the ground beside them cracked with a loud boom and half the nearby shrubbery went into the hole.


	6. Chapter 6

Miss Kain stared at the hole, then grabbing The Doctor by the sleeve pulled him back into the building, "Doctor McCrimmon, Mr. Jones, err, Paul, it's been lovely to meet you be sure to stop in reception to make an appointment for a return visit but as you can imagine we are just a bit busy and well, you know how that can be so..."

The Doctor tried to stop their momentum, "but there's so much more to see!" he protested but the woman's determination gave her extra strength and before he knew it he was standing in the reception area with a highly amused Master at his side.

"I think the term you're searching for right now is 'bum's rush' and I don't mean your woefully lacking back side," The Master laughed.

The Doctor snorted, "there's nothing wrong with my back side."

"I've seen better hind quarters on a toothpick," the other Time Lord laughed.

Before The Master could continue Miranda joined them, "if you come by tonight after closing time I can get you back in and we can investigate together." She pressed a cloth wrapped object into The Doctor's hands then she quickly walked back into the main area of the building.

\----

David was ready to get out of the costume by the end of the day. He looked forward to removing the long wig almost as much as the tight leather trousers. He had just reached his caravan when The Master opened the door, "now that is a look you should keep," he eyed the actor, "you don't look at all like the same person."

"Thanks," David sighed, then gesturing for the Time Lord to move out of the doorway, "can you let me by please?"

The Master moved aside but as David gained the inside of the caravan he received a pinch on the rear. Whipping around he glared at the Time Lord. The Master just smiled, "sorry, it was just too much temptation, seriously we need to steal those trousers at the end of this movie, even he'd look good in them," he gestured at The Doctor.

The thin Time Lord was busy fiddling with something on his lap and didn't seem to notice the exchange.

David sat down next to him to remove his shoes, "what do you have there?"

"A laser spanner," The Doctor held it up, "I haven't seen it since..." then he looked at the actor properly, "wow that is some get up."

The Master got in close to the two of them, "why can't you get some trousers like that? I mean the open shirt thing is probably too much to ask, you seem to think the layered look is still in, seriously who in their right mind wears three shirts, a suit jacket and a long coat in a desert?"

The Doctor ignored him, "if I didn't know it was you," he smiled at the actor, "I won't have guessed it. You certainly look different."

The Master bent down getting just centimetres from David, "makes me want to run my fingers through your chest hair,"

"Don't even try it," the actor warned him. Then he carefully removed the wig, "I'm going to go change, I'll be right back," with that he rose to go into the back of the caravan.

"Keep the trousers on!" The Master called after him.

"Quit teasing him," The Doctor chided his fellow Time Lord.

"I'm not, I suppose I'll have to wait for a future regeneration of yours to see you in anything other than those ill fitting suits you seem so fond of," then he sighed, "my luck you'll be a squat fat little man with big wobbly..." he broke off with a shudder.

"Are you done yet?" The Doctor asked.

"For now," The Master admitted and both of them lapsed into silence.

David returned moments later, dressed in a pair of jeans and a tshirt with a superman logo on the front. The Master rolled his eyes and was about to comment, but the actor spoke first, "I was visited by Dmitri today."

"Dmitri?" The Doctor's eyes grew wide, "whatever for?"

"There are real vampires at work on the film and he wanted to warn me about it," David explained, "he said he told the ones he could control to stay away from me..."

"But there are others he can't..." the thin Time Lord sighed.

"Right."

The conversation was cut short by The Master pointing at the clock, "didn't you say you'd meet what's-her-face at the laughably named museum about now?"

"Miranda," The Doctor corrected him.

"Miranda?" David smiled, "what is she doing here?"

"She's working on behalf of UNIT at the International UFO Museum."

"And we have a genuine mystery on our hands," The Master interjected in mocking voice, "you ever considered trading in the TARDIS for a 'Scooby Doo' van?"

"Ignore him," The Doctor suggested, "I plan to."

"What's going on?" David asked.

"I'll fill you in once we're inside the TARDIS and you can tell me more about the vampires on the way," the Time Lord gestured to the door, "we need to get going."


	7. Chapter 7

Miranda was waiting for them in a copse of trees, she smiled as the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS materialising filled the still night air.

The Doctor was the first to exit the capsule followed closely by David. Miranda hugged the actor, "I keep forgetting how much you look like The Doctor!" she laughed, "thank you again for saving me."

"I was just the decoy," David smiled at her, "he did all the rescuing."

"Reunions are so tedious," The Master grumbled, "you are such sentimental little beasts aren't you?"

Miranda's eyes twinkled in the moonlight, "aw, does him feel all left out? Who's a sweet widdle cranky pants?" she cooed arms spread wide like she was going to unfold The Master in a hug, "does him need a kiss?"

"Hims," the Time Lord stopped clearing his throat, "I mean I do not want a hug or a kiss, and certainly not from you, you silly woman."

"Well I'm not giving you one," The Doctor laughed.

"No one's going to kiss me!" The Master's scowl deepened.

"You got that right," David laughed.

"And no one will if you don't adjust your attitude," The Doctor added somewhat distractedly. Then changing the subject he pointed to the building, "we need to get into the interior courtyard, that's where the ratings were off the chart and where the sink hole appeared."

Leading the way Miranda swiped her pass-card into the slot at the front door, the lock clicked and then the door jumped from its hinges, "the security patrols are every fifteen minutes they will be coming around again in about five minutes but we should be safely out in the courtyard before the make it back this way."

The Doctor charged ahead, leaving the others to catch up. The courtyard was dimly lit by some sodium lamps, but even in the dark it was quite clear that someone had been digging. Even if you dismissed the larger hole, it was impossible to not see the backhoe looking like a prehistoric raptor sitting at the edge.

The thin Time Lord jumped down into the hole, until only the very top of his head was visible, "well," the muffled voice proclaimed, "whatever was down here isn't any more." He straightened up, "I'm guessing that the esteemed Miss Kain dug it out as soon as we left."

"I didn't hear or see anything," Miranda protested.

"Your workshop is in the back and I'm pretty sure that she didn't want you to notice," The Doctor explained, "there is something just a bit off about your boss..." he mused.

"You may want to see this," David called out from the opposite side of the courtyard.

The Doctor ambled over, "what?" he asked.

David pointed to a small area where it was obvious the excess dirt removed from the hole had been piled up. Among the patches of sand and soil were glow-in-the-dark sprinkles that shone like tiny stars in the half-light.

"Good find!" The Doctor chuckled patting the actor on the shoulder. Then bending down he removed a small vial from his coat pocket, scooped some of the glowing particles inside and capped it, "need to get these back to the TARDIS and..."

"Hold it right there!" a voice boomed out of the dark, "hand's up!"

They turned towards the sound and saw a security guard, gun trained on them, standing in the doorway. The Doctor did a quick survey and found that David appeared to be missing. Trying not to be too obvious he scanned the dark courtyard for the actor. The guard moved closer, the hand holding the gun shaking a bit, clearly this man was out of practice, "I'm sure this is just a silly misunderstanding..." The Doctor offered stepping forward.

"Stay back!" the guard yelled his voice just a bit squeakier than someone holding a gun on unarmed people should be.

"It's OK," Miranda smiled winningly, "they're with me."

"They were not signed in!" the guard shot back, "Miss Kain has to authorise..."

Whatever he was going to say next was cut off by the loud tone of the alarm going off inside the building. The guard whipped around and tried to peer into the open doorway, then back at the three people in front of him. Decision made he ran into the building.

"I think that's our cue to leave," The Doctor gestured towards the door. Nodding in agreement Miranda and The Master followed him out.

David was waiting for them at the TARDIS. The Doctor grinned at him, "that was quick thinking. How did you ever come up with that?"

"It always worked when I was at school," the actor smiled, "middle of a pop-quiz, have a mate ask to be excused for the loo...."

Miranda laughed, "the old ways are the best."

"Now," The Doctor removed the vial from his pocket, "time to see what these little beauties really are!"


	8. Chapter 8

"I hate to be the wet blanket, but I have lines to read and have to be on set by 6am tomorrow," David yawned as they all piled into the TARDIS.

Miranda looked around the console room, "are you traveling with him now?" she asked the actor once her visual inspection was completed.

"I am, except now I'm working on a film, so I'm sort of on shore leave," David smiled.

"Busy day of playing dress up and fighting off vampires," The Master snorted.

"What did you say?" Miranda whirled on him.

"The part about playing dress up?" he asked.

"No," she waved at him dismissively, "the thing about vampires."

"He's doing a film with actors pretending to be vampires, it's nothing," The Master rolled his eyes.

"There are some real vampires there too," David interjected.

"Funny you should bring them up," Miranda continued, "there has been a rash of homeless or people on the edge of 'normal' society going missing lately. Then days later a dried up, completely drained corpse is found somewhere on the edge of town. The thing is that each one of them the throat has been ripped apart, the local sheriff's seems to think it's because of wild animals getting at the bodies. But I got a hold of one of the autopsy reports and the throats were torn before death..."

"When did this start happening?" The Doctor stepped away from the controls to join them.

"That's the odd thing, it's been ones and twos for years, but suddenly I've been reading reports that the streets are almost picked clean of homeless, I'm sure some have moved on but you hardly see anyone out pan handling in Albuquerque anymore," Miranda mused, "it's been escalating for the last month or so."

"Since the film crew's been in town?" the thin Time Lord prompted.

"Pretty much, yes," Miranda nodded, "I never would have believe when I was a little girl that vampires really existed..."

"I know what you mean," David laughed, "I feel the same way about Time Lords."

The Master bristled at this, "how can you even use our proud race's name in the same sentence as those vile misbegotten creatures?" he growled.

"I'm sure they feel the same way about us," The Doctor cut him off, "but really the important thing...or two important things, but really the three, I definitely think three..."

"Get on with it!" Miranda and The Master chimed in at the same time.

The Doctor blinked in surprise, and took a deep breath, "the important things are that we figure out what was in the courtyard at the museum, where it's been taken and who sent the signal. And at the same time keep you," he gestured at David, "safe from the vampires and figure out who's been doing all the killing."

"I think the final count is five important things," David used his fingers to keep track.

"Six if you count getting you back to your hotel," Miranda chimed in.

"Six is a nice even number," The Doctor beamed, "I can knock out six things before breakfast."

"Especially if you don't shower before hand," The Master laughed. Everyone turned to stare at him, "that was supposed to be funny," he grumbled brushing an imagery piece of lint from his sleeve.

"First things first," The Doctor announced, "hotel room!"

The figure hiding in the shadows of David's room, hoping to get the actor alone for a late night snack was surprised by a sudden wind, accompanied by the sound of what appeared to be some large machinery running out of oil. Then a blue box came into existence where nothing but tan carpeting had been before.

She shielded her eyes as the glow filled the darkness. Biting back a snarl of frustration she quickly made for the door, her plans changed. She hissed at the rapidly materialising box and vowed this was not going to be the end of it!


	9. Chapter 9

When Miranda was called into Miss Kain's office the next morning she expected to get a dressing down for bringing unauthorised people to the museum after hours. She was prepared to be quizzed heavily on the basic who, what, when and why, and then to be shown the door.

So when Miss Kain smiled warmly at her and offered her a coffee she was very confused, "Miranda," she started, "I know you're just here for a summer's internship but you have done such an excellent job, I think you would be a great addition to our staff."

"Thank you Miss Kain," Miranda replied wondering just what the heck was going on. Her boss had exhibited all the warmth of an icicle up until now.

"You show initiative, drive and ambition," Miss Kain continued, "I mean coming back last night to do additional research..."

"Here it comes," Miranda thought, "I'm going to hear about it now!" 

But instead the woman smiled even more widely, "What did Doctor McCrimmon think about the findings in the courtyard?"

Did Miranda imagine it or did the woman put a strange emphasis on The Doctor's pseudonym? It was like she was suppressing a laugh when she said it. Eyeing the woman carefully Miranda replied, "he took samples back to his lab," she replied.

"Good, good," Miss Kain leaned back in her chair, "well keep my offer in mind, will you? I don't expect an answer right away, the end of the week is good enough." With that the woman turned to a pile of papers on her desk, clearly dismissing Miranda.

As the puzzled young woman left her office Miss Kain glanced up from her busy work, her eyes narrowing, she would deal with this impudent girl soon. But first these strangers, she queue up the CCTV footage from the courtyard, staring at the tall man in the long coat, and his twin dressed in more casual attire, then focusing in on the image of the shorter man in the dark suit. There was something about the blonde man that set her teeth on edge. 

“No matter,” she tapped the image of The Doctor on the screen, “I think ‘Doctor McCrimmon’ that you and I need to have a little chat!” 

\----

While David was on set The Doctor was in one of the TARDIS’ labs running tests on the samples gathered from the courtyard. His concentration, never the best under normal circumstances, was not helped by the fact that The Master, although professing to not care a whit about the findings followed him into the room. And was now using a metal stirring rod to bang on the various vials, beakers and other glass objects while whistling a children’s song from Gallifrey off-key. 

The Doctor tried to tune him out but that only seemed to encourage the other Time Lord, who had picked up a second rod and was using them both to drum on the work surface and anything else within reach.

“Could you be any more annoying?” The Doctor finally asked, pushed to beyond the limits of his patience.

“I certainly could,” The Master smiled at him and began to kick the metal rim of the table in time with his other activities and singing a much more bawdy song at the top of his lungs.

“Isn’t there something else, constructive, you could be doing?” the thin Time Lord shouted above the din.

“Most likely!” came the reply, “but this is much more fun!”

The Doctor stood up grabbed the metal rods from The Master’s hands with a scowl, “I’m sure that you have many other more important things you should be doing.”

The Master grinned, “more important than annoying the spit out of you?”

“Yes!”

The other man pretended to consider this, “nope, can’t think of anything!” then with a smile he plucked the rods out of The Doctor’s hands and resumed his one man performance.

\----

At lunch a particularly tough piece of chicken was giving the flimsy knife David was using a run for its money. Sawing on it, the blade slipped and cut into his right hand. He yelped in surprise and grabbed his palm.

Using a napkin to stem the bleeding he didn’t notice the several sets of eyes turning to look at him. The smell of his blood causing many beings to momentarily abandon their ruse, the attempts at appearing ‘normal’ temporarily forgotten.

David felt the stares like a prickle of fear dancing on his spine, but by the time he looked up the observers had remembered themselves and were studiously pretending to eat the pallid fare on their plates.

Looking around David dismissed the sensation as basic paranoia and discarding the chicken, continued to eat his lunch.


	10. Chapter 10

Deciding to get away from work for a bit she made her way to the bar down the street. The club catered to people within a certain 'niche'. People for whom the normal fare would not be at all what they were craving.

The bartender smiled as she took a seat in front of him, "bloody Mary?" he asked his smile revealing long white fangs, "or bloody Susan or even Bob?" he laughed.

She nodded watching him move to a small room behind the bar, heard the swift slice of a blade on flesh accompanied by a muffled scream. The bartender emerged moments later a tall glass filled with to the casual observer would seem to be tomato juice. To this he added a shot of vodka, and a few shakes of Tabasco. Then sliding a celery stick into the mixture handed it over.

Taking it eagerly from the man's hands she gulped half of it down before speaking, "lovely," she sighed. Then leaning forward she asked, "if I could get you something very exotic, something part alien but with enough human blood in it to be usable how much could I get for it?"

The man's face stilled, "I've heard of this being, he's here in our fair state, you have many other to compete with, he's being watched," he spoke low and softly, trying to hide his excitement, "but you must know that he is said to be protected!"

She shrugged dismissively, "I can get past that," with that she took another bracing drink of her beverage, "now, let's talk about price."

\-------------

Despite his fellow Time Lord’s attempts to distract him The Doctor finally got the information he was looking for. The glowing particles were definitely alien in origin and were made up of a  photo-luminescence material that he had not seen before. 

There was a faint odour of burnt plastic to the samples he had collected which tickled the back of his mind. He had smelt that before, not just when The Master decided to microwave things that clearly were not microwave safe just to annoy him. The worst thing was that the job of removing the hot material that stuck worse than glue and would burn his fingers if he didn’t…

He stopped, “getting off track here,” he mumbled.

“No surprise there,” The Master offered, “you are the only Time Lord with ADHD…”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” The Doctor shot back. This prompted a short laugh from the other man who went back to trying to light a paper notebook on fire, “um why are you doing that?”

“I’m bored,” came the reply, “you’ve been playing mad scientist for ages and I needed to do something to amuse myself.”

“You do realise that the TARDIS has a library, a swimming pool, several game rooms and many, many more distractions, you don’t have to stick around here!”

The Master just snorted, “you clearly don’t understand how fun it is to see you develop that nervous tic just below your left eye when I am dancing on your nerves,” he tapped The Doctor’s cheek with one finger.

Deciding that it was getting him nowhere to try to discuss this further The Doctor turned back to his experiments, “what are you?” he wondered, rubbing his eyes before settling his glasses back down on his nose.

Unwilling to be ignored The Master, finally succeeding in lighting the notebook, held it over The Doctor’s head, “I wonder if that gunk you put in your hair is flammable?”

“The Reor!” The Doctor yelled suddenly making his fellow Time Lord jump and almost drop the burning notebook, “of course!”

“If it is,” The Master recovered dropping the notebook into a nearby sink, “it would have to been more than one ship, they are tiny!”

“Could be a whole fleet based on the size of the hole they dug. The sparkles are the residue from their fuel! But what are they doing here?”

 


	11. Chapter 11

Miranda was on egg shells all day, it was if she was being baited, observed like the many specimens and artefacts. Miss Kain's behaviour was just not right. She came back from lunch acting like she had been on holiday and continued her attitude the rest of the afternoon, even flirting with the heavy set guard in reception.

Maybe it was the sudden reappearance of The Doctor, or the strangeness in the courtyard or talk of vampires, setting her nerves on edge. Perhaps Miss Kain had met a boyfriend for lunch and was just in a good mood. Considering the time she had been at the museum her cold fish of a boss had not smiled at Miranda once, she should be happy for the change in attitude.

"Yet.....no, stop it!" she chided herself, "keep it together, remember your UNIT training! Observe and report, not let your flaky boss freak you out!"

Picking up what was clearly a broken child's toy from Poosh that the museum had paid someone in Cardiff big bucks for. She smiled as she wondered if the gang at Torchwood had sold it to them to get pizza money. As she pretended to study the object carefully her mind was elsewhere.

\----

Dmitri paid David another visit during one of the breaks. He couldn't help but smile widely as the actor approached wearing the costume he had suggested. It couldn't be comfortable wearing leather in this heat but luckily the scenes they were shooting today were most indoors.

Gesturing for David to sit down Dmitri handed him a bottle of water and took a sip of something in a dark mug. 

"Is that blood?" David asked trying to see into the cup.

"I wish," Dmitri sighed, "no this is what the catering staff laughingly refers to as tea. It's probably a good thing you prefer coffee. It reminds me of that famous Abraham Lincoln quote 'if this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.' I swear it's just water shown a picture of what real tea should look like."

"Not good in other words," the actor laughed.

Dmitri set the cup down, "to say the least" he smiled.

"What do I owe the pleasure of your visit this time?" David asked. "I did promise your secret is safe and it still is." 

"I don't doubt that for a moment, you seem a man of your word," the vampire countered, "the reason I am here is tomorrow is going to be one of those scenes where you will meet some of my kind. Some will be mere mortals, but some are as we've discussed before, the real thing."

"I read the script," David replied, "but there's a bit more to this isn't there?"

Dmitri shook his head, "no fooling you is there? You see some of my fellow kind the ones I would trust with my very soul, if I still have one, have gone missing. And they have been replaced out of the blue by others. These newcomers are unknown to me."

"So be careful," the actor nodded taking a drink from his bottle of water. 

"To say the least," Dmitri agreed.

The two men were silent for a while then David leaned in a bit, "I never got a chance the last time to ask and sometimes getting information out of The Doctor is like pulling teeth, why did you then and why do you now care what happens to me?"

The vampire had been prepared to answer this question eventually but was a bit surprised at the timing. He had decided that the answer would be the truth, and nothing but so taking a bracing sip of his lukewarm tea he started, "before it was because you are very special that bit of Time Lord makes your blood equivalent to what would be for mortals a 'super food'. With your blood in my rival's veins, it would have been hard to stop him."

"And now?" David prompted.

"Now, it's partially that and because you seem like a decent person. Since our meeting I've watched some of your work and you are very talented. And I want this film to be a smash for purely capitalistic reasons, and having one of the stars killed off would be costly," Dmitri shrugged. Looking into the dark brown eyes staring at him he wondered if he had been just a bit too honest. His fears were assuaged when those eyes lit up with amusement.

"Fair enough," David smiled, "the end result is that you want me alive and I want me alive. Works for me!"


	12. Chapter 12

Surprisingly the news about real vampires mixed in with the actors didn't really frighten David as much as made him super aware of his surroundings. 'Maybe' he mused to himself, 'traveling with The Doctor has made danger almost common place'. That thought was not exactly comforting but it felt true enough.

He just hoped that his past run ins with the creatures would allow him to tell the difference between the real thing and the pretenders. Closing his eyes to concentrate he pictured the long teeth, the slightly red tinge to the whites of the eyes that could turn instantly to all red eyes when provoked and that ever so slight smell of death about them.

His inner thoughts were interrupted as the make-up artist joined him in the caravan, he was there for a post-lunch touch up. As she placed the cape around his neck he glanced at her eyes and his heart stopped for a second. The whites were tinged red! 

Seeming to catch his alarm she sniffled a few times, "allergies are terrible things aren't they?" she said reaching for a tissue to wipe her nose, "this dry air is playing havoc with my sinuses."

Offering words of sympathy at her plight David forced himself to relax. Surely not every stranger was a vampire! Determined not to let this drive him mad he picked up the script and gave his lines the once over while she applied the make-up.

As she went about her task the woman sensed one of her fellow kind nearby she looked up to see a man dressed in a sanitation uniform entering the caravan under the guise of emptying the trash. She shot him a warning glare, clearly communicating to him that this was her hunting ground. He held her gaze in defiance for what felt like an eternity to him, but then lowering his eyes backed out of the caravan and if he had had a tail would have tucked it between his legs as he retreated.

Feeling emboldened by her encounter, she decided to go for it, "listen, the crew is having a bit of a get together after the set shuts down tonight, nothing special just some drinks and snacks, sort of a getting to know everyone kind of thing. We'd be honoured if you'd join us."

David looked up from his script, a delighted smile on his face, "I'd like that, would it be OK if a few of my friends come as well?"

She winced inwardly at that, the Time Lord was the very last being she wanted to be there. He would get in the way! But plastering a fake smile on and remembering to keep the predatory look from her face she replied, "of course! The more the merrier!

With that he rose to leave, as she watched him every fibre of her being crying out for her to just take him now, before he had protection, before he had reinforcements. But instead she waved cheerily.

\----

Miranda had lost track of time, pretending to be busy had become reality and it was dark by the time she had looked up from her examinations. The building was all but deserted, only the night guard in reception as she made her way to the car park.

She didn't notice that the normally well lit area was almost completely dark until she was out of the range of the building's lights. She briefly considered doubling back and getting a torch from the lab to light her way but dismissed that. The moon was out and it offered some illumination.

Setting her sights on her vehicle and her thoughts on updating The Doctor with her observations she wasn't aware she was being followed. 

The tracker was keeping to the shadows. Aware of Miranda's military training it was important to keep the element of surprise, lest she get away. The smell of her perfume was cloying, but made it so much easier to keep tabs on her as she headed to her waiting car. 

The timing had to be perfect! 

It wasn't until Miranda was slammed to the ground, pinned face first on the pavement that she knew she was not alone. Her unseen assailant held her immobile and before she could yell for help she felt a sharp prick on her neck, the burn of something being injected into her bloodstream and then she felt nothing at all.

Rolling Miranda's limp form over, her attacker felt in her pockets for the car keys, quickly unlocked the boot and tossed her carelessly inside. Then getting behind the wheel, pointed the vehicle towards the desert, without turning on the lights, allowing the pale moonlight to show the way.


	13. Chapter 13

Miranda came awake slowly, having dreamt of The Doctor she vaguely remembered agreeing to meet him after work, and at first thought the had fallen asleep at her desk. But when she tried to sit up she hit her head on something metal, 

Then it all came back to her, the attack in the car park! Then it made sense that this moving box she appeared to be in was her rental car. Remembering the boot lid release lever the rental agent had pointed out jokingly laughing at his little joke about locking herself into the boot, she felt for it in the dark. One the fourth try she found it and gave it a firm tug, the boot lid popped open just enough for her to peer out. She didn't want to draw too much attention to herself until she had an idea where she was.

Unfortunately wherever she was it was almost pitch black, and if it wasn't for the glow of the moon she would have seen nothing. Whoever was driving had not bothered turning the lights on, so obviously they didn't want to be seen. 

That worked in her favour, she smiled as she carefully made her way to the edge of the boot. Waiting for the car to slow down a bit she timed her jumping out as it turned a corner. Hitting the ground she rolled and then ducked behind a rock out cropping. Almost holding her breath she waited until the car was completely out of sight before fishing her mobile out of her pocket and started to call The Doctor.

But before she could start dialling the car had circled back around, she dove behind a cactus laying as flat as she could. The dome light pierced the night as the door opened. Whoever it was was back lit and hard to make out. A torch beam scanned the darkness clearly looking for her. Was it her imagination or did it scan right over her?

"Come out, come out wherever you are," the husky voice called. The gender of the caller undetermined by the sound of those words. After a few minutes the figure spoke, "maybe you'll find the coyotes and other creatures good company. I'm sure they'll find you very tasty!" With that she heard the door slam and looked up to see the car disappear from sight.

\----

The Doctor has also lost track of time. He had used the TARDIS' computer to tap into the main data banks of Reor to determine if any ships had gone missing lately. But first he had to bypass all their security and attempts to lock him out. He smiled softly as he discovered the password, the key to unlock all their sensitive information, had turned out to be "password".

The Master seemed less impressed, "it would have been the first one I would have tried," he waved at his fellow Time Lord dismissively, "you know the Reor are about the least technology savvy out there, their computers are still using diskettes for back up!"

Reading the archives The Doctor couldn't find anything recent, the last report of missing ships, "was from the 1950s!" he took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "So, is it that these ships are from that time frame or the news of them crashing hasn't come back to the home planet yet?" he mused aloud.

"Who cares?" The Master yawned loudly. Then he pointed to the clock on the wall, "is that 9pm or 9am?"

"9pm I think," The Doctor replied, "oh oh," he straightened up, "I've forgotten about Miranda and David!"

"I'm sure they can amuse themselves," the other Time Lord replied, "I need tea, all this pestering takes a lot of one."

The Doctor was about to head out when his mobile rang, "Miranda!" he smiled, "I was just talking about you...." the smile faded as he listened intently, then running to the control rooms he started the materialisation sequence, hoping the TARDIS got to his former companion before either the kidnapper returned or the local wildlife found her, "stay there, stay hidden!" he yelled into the phone, "we're coming for you!"


	14. Chapter 14

David was surprised to find his hotel room empty, he was getting so used to having a blue box parked in a corner and the Time Lords camping out, so it seemed almost abandoned. He had wanted to invite them to the get together the crew was having, but since they were no where to be seen he decided to just finish getting ready and if they didn't show by then, leave them a note.

The little fingers of paranoia were tapping at the back of his mind as he hopped in the shower to wash the day's dust and grime off of his body. Maybe it was a bit of misplaced bravado or his faith in The Doctor or his usual optimistic nature, but he was sure that things would work out fine. He vowed to be vigilant but not this ruin his night.

Glancing at the clock as he got dressed, David realised he had only five minutes before the car would be waiting for him downstairs. Quickly finishing up he grabbed the bottle of wine he had picked up and headed to the lobby.

\--------

The gathering was anxiously awaiting the 'honoured guest' as one of them laughing referred to the actor and soon to be unwilling blood donor. The drinks were all spiked, a powerful sedative placed in each bottle as no one knew which he would choose.

A table of snack foods was laid out as well, although none of the assembly were even tempted by the spread. They had a different menu in mind. 

Plans were made to distract or if need be overpowering the Time Lords should they make an unwanted appearance. Although spies at the hotel had reported that David was on his own. It would appear that the wild goose chase they had been baited with had taken and they were off rescuing the damsel in distress. 

But it could not be discounted that they would show up at the most inconvenient times. Best to be prepared.

\--------

Miranda almost giggled with relief as she heard the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS materialising nearby. The car had circled the area a few times while she waited, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure it could be heard outside her chest. But each time after making a lazy circle around her the car would drive off.

The minute the TARDIS landed she threw caution to the wind and practically ran The Doctor over as he opened the door. He took her in his sheltering arms in a reassuring hug once the doors were closed, "are you all right?" he asked his voice soft and full of concern.

Miranda filled him in on what happened ending with, "I could swear the driver knew were I was but just they just kept circling me..."

"You were being toyed with," The Doctor frowned as he broke the embrace, "but why, if they knew exactly where you were hiding, didn't they come after you?"

"Perhaps they wanted to just be sure you were coming to save her and wanted to be sure she stayed there until you did," The Master offered.

Miranda stared at him a moment, "But why go to all the trouble of kidnapping me, then just letting me go?"

The Doctor looked like someone had punched him in the gut as the penny dropped with a sickening thud, "distraction!" he yelled, his voice fierce, "you were let go, you didn't escape! This was a ruse! A means of getting us out of the way!"

"Out of the way for what?" Miranda asked, but by the time she got that question out the space that used to hold the thin Time Lord was empty. 

The Master was still there, his expression grave, "this could be nasty," he sighed.

"Won't someone tell me what's going on?" Miranda demanded.

But aside from the hum of the engines and the sound of her own breathing the TARDIS had gone completely quiet.


	15. Chapter 15

The excited chatter in the room rose to almost unbearable levels as an advanced scout reported that the car containing the prey was approaching. But as soon as the car doors slammed, the room went silent, the eager almost feral expressions on the gathered faces became more vapid and mundane. Some were practising their friendly smiles, while others poured drinks that would be merely props to appear more normal.

As David approached the party that little niggling feeling of paranoia grew to almost overwhelming heights, the urge to turn around and run was very strong. Shaking it off he allowed himself to be led into the back of the restaurant to one of the private banquet rooms. Trying not to dwell on the knot in his stomach or the racing of his heart he gave himself a bit of a pep talk. After all these were people he had been working with all day, why now, after hours did it make him so unnerved?

His escort stayed two steps behind him, seemingly herding him towards the room and, David thought with a suppressed shudder, blocking his exit should he decide to make a hasty retreat. Moments later as he opened the door to the room, that exact urge hit him.

All eyes seemed to focus on him with such intensity that he actually took a couple of step back involuntarily, almost knocking into the man behind him. Taking a deep breath he willed himself forward.

As he entered the room he glanced around at the people inside, was it just his over-active imagination or did some of the eyes watching his every move seem a bit red? Holding the bottle of wine tightly, almost like he was considering using it as a club David advanced into the crowd.

\--------

The Doctor wasn't surprised that David's hotel suite was empty. Dismayed, yes, surprised, no. He had figured that Miranda's kidnapping was staged. He just wasn't sure who had been behind it, although he certainly had his theories.

The Master didn't join the frantic searching of the rooms, instead he sat down on the sofa in the main area of the suite and calmly watched Miranda and The Doctor running around. He waited until his fellow Time Lord had made a third pass before waving a piece of hotel stationery at him, "this may help," he offered.

The Doctor stopped and took the note from him, settled his glasses on his nose and read it, "why didn't you give this to me earlier?" he snapped.

"I didn't want to interrupt you, you seemed to have momentum going," The Master laughed.

Miranda came into the room and saw the note too, "so now we know where he is," she smiled, but noting the grim look on the Time Lord's face her smile slipped, "that's good isn't it?"

"There's no time stamp on here," he flipped the note over and then back to the front again, "so who knows how long he's been gone."

The Master rose from the sofa with a grunt, "then it would seem to me standing around discussing this instead of going to find the dear boy is a complete waste of time!"

"Why do you even care?" Miranda asked.

"I don't," he insisted, "but rather than sit around here with you two, if there's a party going on, and it may be worth crashing." With that The Master wandered over to the TARDIS and let himself inside.

After a moment of just watching him in stunned silence, the other two quickly joined him.


	16. Chapter 16

As heartening as it was that the prey arrived alone, she knew better than to think he'd stay that way, the urge to act quickly was growing. The only thing they had on their side was it would seem he had not made contact with the Time Lords since leaving the set, so even if they were searching for him he'd be hard to find.

The plan to get him to consume a drugged beverage was not working. Almost as if he sensed something was wrong he refused, politely of course, the couple offers of drinks. She heard several discussions about throwing subtlety to the winds and just using force to take him, but she quickly quieted the talk down. 

Yes, their sheer numbers could easily take him but the hunt was half the fun! Just overpowering the prey would make it over too soon. Better take a page from a cat, play with him a bit first, get him at his ease then attack.

Even if it was beginning to seem like he had no plans to let his guard down. 

She decided to use her personal charms on him. "Enjoying the party?" she smiled, coming up to him and clearly startling him a bit as he jumped at her words. Must remember to move at mortal speed, she chastised herself.

"Oh yes," he lied, his eyes scanning the room. Then he focused on her, "don't I know you from somewhere other than the film set?"

She was a bit surprised at this. Her mundane persona, the one she used to blend in, didn't resemble the real her at all. The one now taking his arm and leading him to the buffet looked vastly different! When in her guise she had her hair pulled into a severe bun, wore drab 'professional' clothing. Tonight her hair flowed free and the dress she chose showed off her assets to their fullest.

"I don't think so," she smiled, keeping the edges of her lips closed to not reveal the fangs that came out as she took in his scent, "my name is Julie."

"Hi, Julie," the prey smiled tentatively, "um, where are we going?" he then asked as she half dragged him along.

"There is a whole buffet here, you're not eating or drinking or doing anything to convince me you're really enjoying yourself," she teased, "you don't want us working folks to think you're too high and mighty to slum with us little people."

She could sense she had hit the right tone with that comment as he stopped resisting her efforts and let himself be led like a lamb to the slaughter.

\------

The Doctor finished the dematerialisation sequence and looked at Miranda expectantly.

"What?" she demanded, "did I dribble on my shirt or something?" she glanced down at herself.

"You've been around long enough to know the area, where's this place?" he held up David's note.

"I think that's by the airport," Miranda concentrated.

"That makes a lot of sense," The Doctor nodded, "easy in and out for out of town diners..."

"Diners?" 

"I have the feeling this party is an all you can eat buffet, and the main course is David," the Time Lord explained as he set the coordinates, "I just hope we get there before dinner is served."

"Would someone please tell me what is going on?" Miranda raised her hands in frustration.

The Master rolled his eyes, "I keep forgetting how thick you humans are. Vampires of course, as in 'I vant to suck your blood' and all that," he put two fingers pointing down to his mouth.

"This isn't the first time we've run into them," The Doctor commented not looking up from his twiddlings, "they are attracted to David..."

"Not because of his looks," The Master interjected, "you both are ugly as sin, after all!"

Miranda gave a half smile, "oh I don't think so, I think they're both quite cute, those large dark eyes those pert little..."

"Anyway!" The Doctor interrupted, "as I was saying, the have sought him out before. Since our last encounter I came to realise he's a bit more than just a coincidental look-a-like. And that's what makes these vampires interested in him."

"Mongrel," The Master snorted.

It became painfully obvious to Miranda that neither Time Lord had any plans to further enlighten her so she gave up, for now, "after this is all over you'll have to fill me in on what you mean by that," she sighed.

"I promise," The Doctor nodded sincerely, "but the point may be moot if we don't find him soon."


	17. Chapter 17

She bit back a sigh of relief as the prey finally accepted a drink, but watching him just hold it in his hand was making her want to scream. He made absolutely no move to taste it, which made her wonder if his mixed heritage made him just a bit more aware and intelligent than the normal human stock she normal hunted.

Moments later, she wanted to whoop with joy as he started to raise the glass to his mouth, it had just reached his lips when a dark haired man with light eyes approached him, "excuse me my dear," he nodded at Julie, letting her see just the hint of fang in his smile, "I need a moment alone with David," with that he whisked the actor away.

"Dmitri!" David smiled, "what are you doing here?"

"Technically I am staff, and more importantly you are in mortal danger," the vampire took him by the shoulders and steered him to the doors, "I just found out about this little 'party' from a rather foolish young vampire with a daddy complex. You need to get out of here before the real reason for this get together begins!"

David looked over the other man's head and saw a sea of red eyes now glaring at them, "I'm afraid to ask," he breathed out, half knowing already what was in store for him.

"You don't need to," Dmitri countered, "what you need to do is get into the red sedan parked at the entrance and my driver will..." before he could finish his sentence the crowd surged en masse towards them. 

But before they could get to the door, some of the vampires had circled around and now were blocking their exit.

The woman who had introduced herself as 'Julie' was now standing directly in front of them, "he is mine," she hissed at Dmitri.

"I am not yours," David shot back, "I don't even know who you are."

"You are my prey," she smiled at him showing her long white teeth.

Those words brought back a host of unpleasant memories but this time David was determined not to be a victim and fight back. Grabbing a chair he busted it on a nearby table and held out the ragged leg, point side out at the woman, "I know a wooden stake doesn't kill you," he waved it at her, "but it sure must sting a bit."

Dmitri had to admire the bravado this man had. Even as a vampire himself, facing this many hostile faces and ill intentions had even him quite worried.

"This one is feisty," a dark skinned vampire laughed, "too bad bravery is not enough."

The crowd was growing ever closer, Julie smiled coldly at Dmitri, "you will regret trying to take what is rightfully mine," she informed him, her voice low and menacing.

"I'm already beginning to," Dmitri admitted, but held his ground.

"Give him to me," Julie held her hand out, "and I will let you go."

"I'm not his to give!" David countered.

"I can't do that," Dmitri replied a hint of resignation in his voice, "I would have to answer to a very powerful and I'm sure very angry Time Lord if I did that."

"I'm not afraid of him," Julie spat.

"You should be," David replied trying to keep all of the vampires in his line of sight.

"Give him to me," Julie repeated.

"No." Dmitri simply stated, no hint of anger or defiance in his voice.

"Then you will suffer," someone called out from the back of the room.

"Undoubtedly," the vampire shook his head sadly.

One of the vampires tried to grab David but he jabbed the impromptu stake at her and she shrunk back into the crowd. Hissing like an angry feline as she moved away. 

Just as it looked as if all their efforts would be in vain David heard a very familiar sound that brought a smile to his face. The vampires reeled back as a blue box suddenly appeared between them and their intended victims.


	18. Chapter 18

The minute the doors opened David ran inside. Dmitri appeared to still be in shock and just stood there staring at the blue box, "get in here!" The Doctor snapped as the tide of vampires regrouped and started to advance forward.

That seemed to un-stick Dmitri's feet and he jumped into the TARDIS with a sigh of relief. As the doors shut Miranda strained to look out one of the windows. 

"What is it?" David asked watching her efforts.

"I could swear I recognised one of those...things..." she tapped her finger on the smoked glass.

"Which one?" Dmitri asked walking over to join them.

Miranda shook her head, "no, never mind, it's just my over active imagination working overtime. Forget it."

Once they were safely out of the hotel The Doctor whirled on David, "until we are sure you're safe you mustn't go anywhere without me!" 

"I don't need a babysitter," David grumbled.

"Obviously you do," the Time Lord snapped at him, "if it wasn't for us you'd be the hot plate special!"

"And I appreciate that," the actor bowed slightly in his direction, "but how do you expect me to explain you hanging around all the time? You think no one will notice?"

"I can be subtle, discreet, and I can blend in!" 

"Right..." David snorted, "I think you're being ridiculous."

Miranda and The Master were sitting on the jump seat watching this exchange like it was a tennis match. 'All they need now,' Dmitri thought, 'is a tub of popcorn.'

The voices grew in volume and the works more heated before the vampire stepped in, "he's right, you can't hang around the set without calling attention to yourself," he addressed the Time Lord, "but I can. I have a legitimate reason to be there. I'll watch him when he's on set and you can guard him at night."

"Why should we trust you?" Miranda spoke up, "you're one of them!"

"It's a long story," The Doctor replied, "but Dmitri has proven himself trust worthy. If David agrees to this, so will I."

"Maybe you should just chip him! You know like they do with dogs and cats, that way you could keep tabs on him wherever he was!" The Master offered unhelpfully. When two, nearly identical sets of dark eyes glared at him he grumbled, "just trying to offer a solution."

"Well?" Dmitri prompted the actor, "what do you say?"

"Fine," David reluctantly agreed, "but I still think this is unnecessary. I promise to not accept any more invitations."

"They won't use that again," The Doctor tapped his fingers on his temple,"they may be blood thirsty killers," then with an embarrassed smile looked at Dmitri, "sorry no offence meant."

"None taken," Dmitri graciously replied.

"As I was saying, they may be blood thirsty killers, but they are not stupid," he continued, "and since subtlety has failed my guess would be their next try will be a bit more brazen."

"I was really hoping they were planning on giving up," David sighed.

"I wouldn't count on it," Dmitri cautioned him, "once a vampire has set his or her sights on prey, I mean a human or human mix like yourself, they are not likely to stop until they get what they seek."

"Even you?" Miranda asked.

"Even me," Dmitri smiled his fangs gleaming in the soft light of the TARDIS, "but lucky for him," he gestured at David, "he's not on my menu."


	19. Chapter 19

That settled The Doctor turned his sights on Miranda, "did you get a look at your kidnapper at all?"

She furrowed her brow in thought for a moment, "I didn't see his or her face, but I think it was a man. When I got out of the boot and he came looking for me, it was hard to make out his form but he had a husky voice."

"Could have been a woman," she added after a slight pause, "but if so she was dressed in very non-revealing clothing."

"Yeah that helps," The Master snorted.

Miranda whirled on him, "didn't your mother ever tell you if you couldn't say anything nice to not say anything at all?"

The Time Lord looked surprised at this and pretended to study his nails closely by way of a reply.

The Doctor suppressed a laugh, "my suggestion is to just ignore him, it works for me...sometimes." Then clearing his throat he continued, "we've all had one hell of a night, perhaps we should try to get some sleep and see if cooler heads will prevail in the morning."

David insisted on going back to his hotel suite so Miranda took the sofa as her bed for the night determined to fight off any further attacks should any come their way. The Master disappeared to his rooms one the time capsule had landed, leaving Dmitri and The Doctor alone in the console room.

"Where can I drop you?" the Time Lord asked of the vampire.

"Now that everyone is gone," Dmitri smiled, "what are you really going to do?"

The Doctor feigned innocence for bit then grinned like a naughty school boy, "is it that obvious?"

Dmitri nodded, "you don't strike me as someone who would be able to sleep with this mystery hanging over your head."

"I don't sleep much anyway. What about you? Off to 'hunt'?" The Doctor asked his expression unreadable.

"I don't expect you approve, I know you see yourself as the protector of human kind, so I will just say thank you for saving my hide back at the hotel, and bid you goodnight," Dmitri bowed as he exited the TARDIS. 

Waiting until the count of one hundred The Doctor left the TARDIS after locking her controls to keep The Master inside and unable to take off on him, he wandered out into the night. 

Miranda woke from her restless sleep, her heart pounding. She had dreamt she was back in the banquet room and somehow her boss was also there. But that was crazy! Sure her boss was a bit odd, definitely stand offish but she had none of the traits of a vampire. Her teeth were not fanged, and she didn't drink blood, in fact they had shared a pizza Miranda's first day!

She sat up and took stock of her surroundings. Someone had pulled a blanket over her while she slept. It was sweet, she smiled, but considering she was there to guard David and he had managed to cover her unnoticed didn't make her feel very capable. She rose, throwing the cover off and checked in on him, he was sound asleep and as a quick survey of the room showed, completely alone. 

Pacing the room, she fought her tired body and tried to keep her eyes open but sleep would not be denied. She finally compromised by taking the blanket and a pillow from the sofa and sleeping pressed up against the bedroom door.


	20. Chapter 20

The being following The Doctor was trying to stay to the shadows, and stay quiet. And it probably would have worked had this been a mere human being tracked. But Time Lord's senses were many times more acute and he picked up on his stalker immediately.

But rather than ruin the element of surprise and not quite sure what the intent was The Doctor let the trailing continue without acknowledging the other's presence. Never letting his guard down but also not allowing this new development to stop his progress.

Miranda hadn't been wrong, there was a vampire in the crowd that had gathered to feast on David, that was recognisable and now he was going to find out what was going on. 

Using the sonic screwdriver the door he slipped inside the building. The fact that the alarm didn't sound alerted him that he was expected and most likely was walking into a trap. Of course that didn't stop him from going further inside, his curiosity and faith in his ability to get out of anything unscathed led him on.

Deciding to go right to it, The Doctor let himself into Miss Kain's office. As he expected she was waiting for him. The guise of the cold fish professional woman was cast aside. She was dressed in a form fitting dress, her long hair loose and a chilly smile on her face.

"I've been expecting you," she laughed, as two big, muscled vampires stepped out of the corners of the room to block his exit.

"I can see that," The Doctor nodded at the two men.

"I saw that spark of recognition when you met my eyes, you are a clever little thing, aren't you?" she cooed standing up to step in close to the Time Lord and ran a fingernail down his cheek slowly.

The Doctor met her gaze unwaveringly, "I did some research, there hasn't been a Reor fleet gone missing for over fifty years, surely you would have found them by now if they'd been buried in the courtyard all this time."

Miss Kain, stepped back, a bit ruffled that her attempts to unnerve the Time Lord weren't working.

"So I'm guessing that this was staged," he continued, "and that would explain the distress signal. It was completely wrong for the Reor you got that from a different ship."

She tilted her head and let her breath just tickle The Doctor's neck, "I wonder what you taste like?" she flicked her tongue out just barely touching his cool skin.

Before he could reply the two vampires who had been moving closer stealthily grabbed his arms pinning him in place.  
\------

Miranda sat up with a start, everything was suddenly clear to her. She looked around the hotel room hoping to see the blue box parked in a corner somewhere, but it was no where to be found.

She debated waking David to tell him but decided that just because she couldn't sleep didn't mean he had to suffer along with her. Giving up on the idea of getting more rest she picked up her impromptu bedding and settled on the arm chair in front of the television, flipping through the channels hoping to find something to keep her mind from driving her crazy.


	21. Chapter 21

Miranda was just about relaxed when she heard the sound of breathing just behind her. She went to stand up but strong hands held her down. She tried to scream but found the only noise she could make was a strangled whimper as the eyes she found glaring down at her, the bright red eyes gazing at her with a barely contained hunger also began to freeze her in place.

The worst part, she thought as the fangs started to show at the edges of the now smiling mouth, was that this was the last person she expected to attack her. How had this happened? She wondered as the hot breath tickled her neck.

With the last of her strength she struck out, hitting her attacker in the chest, still trying to free herself even as the warm languid feeling over took her. Strong hands held her arms as she tried to shove him away, then she heard someone calling her name.

"Miranda?" the soft voice called, "Miranda? Wake up!"

Her eyes opened to see David standing in front of her holding her flailing arms in his hands, "what's going on?" she mumbled still half in her nightmare.

"You were calling out in in your sleep," he replied letting go of her, "and when I tried to wake you, you got really agitated."

Miranda sat up and rubbed her eyes, "I dreamt you had become a vampire and were attacking me!" she shook her head, "it seemed so real!"

Taking a seat on the sofa opposite David opened his mouth and tapped on his teeth, "no fangs," he pointed, "I promise."

"What time is it?" Miranda sighed.

"A little before five, it's a bit early yet."

"You should go back to bed, I'll be fine," Miranda was dismayed at how shaky she was still feeling. She looked into the actor's dark eyes still expecting to see the red glow of her nightmares instead of the deep brown they were now. 

"I think you're the one who could use some sleep, I doubt the chair is all that comfortable," he smiled, "I have to be up in about an hour anyway, so I'll make some coffee and get a shower and you can have the bed for some proper rest."

She smiled at his kindness, "that sounds wonderful. If you're sure you don't mind, I think I'll take you up on that offer." 

With that she rose and headed into the bedroom. Looking back before shutting the door, she thought she saw just a tinge of red in the actor's large eyes. Dismissing it as the result of the same fatigue she was feeling herself she shut the door and climbed into the still warm bed and was almost instantly asleep.

\------

The Doctor braced himself, waiting for that first sting of fangs breaking his skin but Miss Kain or Julie or whatever she was calling herself now, he mused, seemed to be toying with him. She didn't move from just barely touching his neck, and the anticipation was making him want to scream.

Finally he couldn't stand it any longer, "get on with it!" he growled.

Still nothing. 

It was then he realised the two vampires holding him were now completely still as well, their grip on him slack. By twisting his arms he was able to break their grasp. Taking a few steps back he realised that the only one moving in the room was himself.

Snapping his fingers in Miss Kain's face got no reaction at all, it was like time itself had stopped. Closing his eyes he reached out to the universe and felt nothing out of the ordinary there, time was still moving. But they weren't.

Deciding that it was probably best to take advantage of this strange development to get the hell out of there, The Doctor paused long enough to scan Miss Kain and the terrible twosome briefly with his sonic screwdriver before hastily making his way out of the room. Blasting the lock as he did so, just in case they came out of, whatever it was, and came after him.

\------

The mismatched eyes followed the scene on the monitor with a sigh of satisfaction. Convincing the TARDIS that he meant her pilot no harm and in fact was trying to save his scrawny little neck was no easy task. Having her unlock the stasis beam for him had been even harder work. 

Now that The Doctor was safe, for the moment, she shut him out of the controls once more. The knobs refusing to move and a slight shock hit his finger tips when the tried to press any more buttons.

"You did the right thing," he patted the console briefly, "don't worry," he soothed, "this will be our little secret." With that he rose with a barely stifled yawn and went in search of some tea.


	22. Chapter 22

Keeping an ear out for if or when the threesome would come for him The Doctor poked around a few display cases and storage areas before coming to a triple locked vault. Luckily, he grinned, none of them were dead locked sealed so a few bursts from the sonic screwdriver and a snipped wire later, he was inside the vault.

Ignoring the jewels and so called 'valuables' his instincts led him to four medium sized lead boxes, labelled with some numbering code that were behind the now disabled security grid.

The first box opened easily. Inside was a nondescript key with absolutely no identifying marks. He picked up the key and closed his fingers around it, trying to pick up some vibe from it, something to tell him why it was so important. But he got nothing. Slipping it into his pocket he moved on to the next box. 

This box was a bit harder to open, not due to any complicated security but rather because it appeared to be untouched for ages. Inside, in a carefully lined casing was a vial of some dark liquid. Carefully prising off the cap The Doctor sniffed the contents. Then after dipping a long finger inside touched his tongue with the liquid that coated his digit. 

Rolling the taste through his mouth he frowned at the vial and then wrapped it in a bit of material and stuck it in another pocket. 

The third and fourth cases were empty, but before he could go on to more objects in the vault he heard the door behind him start to swing shut. That didn't particularly worry him until the alarms started to sound and the lights went out.

Quickly assessing the situation, clearly torn between staying to further explore the contents of the vault, or risk getting trapped inside, The Doctor decided a revisit would be better than trying to explain to possibly armed guards or police what he was doing there. 

He slipped out of the door just before it clicked shut and quickly made his way out of the building.

\------

As the gurgling sound of the coffee pot finishing brewing roused David he realised he had been staring into space, his mind clearly elsewhere. He was glad Miranda had taken him up on the offer of getting some sleep but being alone in the too quiet room was making him uneasy.

Since traveling with The Doctor, and trying to lead a normal life on top of that, he was rarely on his own. Adding into the mix the unwanted and unwelcome return of the threat of vampires, was making life a bit too interesting.

Pouring a mug of coffee and taking it to one of the large cowhide chairs David tried to get mentally prepared for his day. Soon the car to take him to the set would arrive, he still had a shower to take and lines to review...and on top of all that watch out for vampires.

'I'm going to need more coffee' he thought with a laugh. The offering an imaginary toast to the vampires, he slugged the still-a-bit-too-warm coffee down and headed for the shower. Hoping that his outlook would brighten with the rising sun.

As soon as David stepped into the shower the hotel door opened quietly. A light haired man in the regulation bell boy uniform let himself in with the pass card. To the casual observer it would seem he was just bog standard employee. But if one were to glance at him more closely the red eyes and the way his long teeth seemed to be unable to stay within his thin lips, would call him out as being something different.

He moved into the room, without making a sound, and made his way to the bedroom. Sniffing the air as he opened the door, his eyes narrowed when the figure in the covers was not the prey. Instead a young black woman, laying on her side, was in the bed.

He stepped in closer with the idea of dispatching her quickly when the phone rang. The woman sat bolt upright and grabbed for it. At the same time the water in the shower was abruptly turned off.

Deciding two against one was not in his favour the bell boy ran from the room, before the woman came fully awake and spied him. She felt a whoosh of air as he left, but his movements were so fast her mortal eyes never saw him.

David emerged still soaking wet, with a robe wrapped around him and smiling at Miranda took the phone from her hands, "thank you," he spoke after listening for bit. Then turning to the not-quite-awake woman, "that was my wake up call. Sorry it woke you up."

Miranda rubbed her eyes, "did you just feel a breeze?" she asked her voice still husky from sleep.

"Couldn't be," David gestured, "these windows don't open. You must have felt the air currents from me opening the door to the bathroom."

She considered this for a moment then pushed back the covers, "is that coffee I smell?" 

"I made a whole pot, help yourself. I'm going to get dressed, then I'll join you."

As Miranda went into the kitchenette she noticed something shiny on the floor next to the door, a key was sitting in the middle of the foyer. She took a small plastic bag from the drawer next to the microwave then carefully picked the key up, and sealed the bag. With the intent that when she got to the museum later that morning she would dust it for prints.

Pouring herself a cup of coffee and a refill for David she wondered what The Doctor had found out overnight.


	23. Chapter 23

Dmitri frowned at the pink sheets he was handed before shooting began that morning. Why all of a sudden was a night shoot scheduled for the next day? Something about it made his hackles raise, but he was determined to keep an eye out for David. Not only did he promise The Doctor he would keep his friend safe, his financial interests were also served by making sure no harm came to the actor.

Somehow, he shook his head ruefully; harm is exactly what these changes seemed to be pointing to. As he clipped the papers into his binder he made a mental note to talk to the Time Lord before the day was through.

For now, he had the unenviable task of being both a body guard and keep up the appearance of just being one of the crew. Sniffing the air, he caught the scent of others of his kind, hoping that the ones in his brood still outnumbered those coming in from unknown quarters; he squared his shoulders and headed out to the set.

Dmitri found David, in full costume and make up, talking to one of the unknown vampires. It was obvious this new one was there for a crowd scene. Probably due to type casting, Dmitri had to laugh. If there was ever a stereotypical vampire type, this man was it. Long hair, dyed black and slicked back, he snorted. Some people, no, he corrected himself, some vampires had no imagination. He himself would never be caught dead looking like a Béla Lugosi wanna-be, but to each their own.

Waiting for the right moment he pulled the tall actor to one side, “I promised The Doctor I would keep you safe,” he almost whispered, “so you can’t just go around talking to any Tom, Dick or Count Dracula look alike you see.”

David smiled at that, “including you?” he laughed.

“No, not including me,” Dmitri sighed, “now let’s be serious a moment. That young…thing…you were just talking to is the real deal and he is not someone I recognise.”

“I can’t just stop talking to people,” David protested, “I don’t want to come across as being stuck up or unfriendly.”

“Even if your life depends on it?” Dmitri shot back.

“I really doubt anyone is going to attack me in broad daylight with all these onlookers,” the actor protested gesturing at the crowd.

“It’s happened before,” the vampire shook his head.

Seeing Dmitri was serious David nodded, “OK, I will be more careful. But I really think you and The Doctor are being just a bit overcautious.”

“Are you in a hurry to die?” Dmitri asked, “or be fed from like you were before?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Then please believe me, that is exactly what is going to happen if you don’t wise up,” the vampire’s eyes were full of concern. He was about to say more but the next scene was ready and David was called away.

Dmitri watched as the actor went with the thankfully human P.A. and turned back to his binder, as he did he swore he heard someone hiss, “traitor!” but looking around he found himself alone. Repressing a shudder he held his head high and made his way to the set.

\------

Miranda decided that it was best to play it cool. Obviously Miss Kain was somehow involved with, or was a vampire herself. But until that particular card needed to be played she figured it was best to act like nothing had changed between them.

And for Miss Kain’s part, she seemed just as eager to let that bit of information stay unspoken. Keeping their interactions light and superficial seemed to be the order of the day.

Waiting until she was sure she was alone Miranda pulled out the key she had found in David’s hotel room. Putting on a pair of latex gloves and extracting the key with a pair of surgical tweezers she set it on a glass slide and carefully dusted it for finger prints.

Finding none, she went on to take a sample of the metal and examine that. Nothing unusual there, but was very unusual was the key had no identifying marks of any kind. No manufacturer’s code, no serial numbers, nothing to indicate anything about the key’s origins.

Given the patina it was obviously not a brand new key, the faux brass finish was dull and scratched where it appeared to be worn, on a chain or bit of string possibly, around the owner’s neck? Checking for fibres under the high powered microscope came up empty as well.

Sitting back with a groan, Miranda hoped whatever The Doctor had found out would help them because heaven knows this key was not giving up any of its secrets.

Miranda would have been amused, or even perhaps bemused to find that at the exact same moment The Doctor had just finished the examination of the key he had found in the vault the night before, with similar results. Even his extra keen sense of taste, by way of a quick lick of the metal, revealed nothing. But it did get a reaction.

“I swear you were not fed enough as a child,” The Master snorted, “why do you keep putting things in your mouth that clearly do not belong there?”

“It helps me get a feel for the object,” The Doctor protested. 

“Any rational or normal being would use their fingers or any other less disgusting ways of determination,” the other Time Lord shot back, “and who needs your drool all over things anyway?”

“It’s not like you were planning on doing anything with this key, were you?”

“That’s not the point,” The Master grimaced, “you could at least sanitise it before getting your own particularly nasty germs all over it!”

Making a show of wiping the key on his trouser leg The Doctor held it out to him, “you want to see it?”

The Master hesitated before taking the key between his thumb and forefinger gingerly, “Rassilon knows what diseases I’m going to pick up from this,” he groused before examining the object closely.

“There’s nothing on it,” he announced before handing it back.

“I know,” The Doctor nodded, “it’s deliberately unmarked, and anonymous. Yet it was locked in a heavily armed vault. It was being kept safe, for what reason?”

“Maybe so you couldn’t get your mangy lips on it,” The Master offered.

“Doubt it, but clearly someone wanted it not to be found,” the thin Time Lord mused, “but why?”


	24. Chapter 24

Despite the overwhelming feeling of paranoia and doom Dmitri and The Doctor tried to instill in him, David was determined to not let that ruin his day. Not that he didn’t eye each new person that approached carefully, looking for what he knew were tell tale signs, but the problem was that a lot of the time even regular humans could look a bit off. Especially in the dry air of New Mexico, it was hard to tell if it was nothing more sinister than allergies causing the red eyes he was seeing.

Luckily the day’s shoot was uneventful, no one tried to bite him, although one fan girl did offer but he suspected it was not to drink his blood. 

At the end of the day he got out of the costume in the caravan and was about to head out when Dmitri stopped him.

“We need to talk,” the vampire announced charging in through the open door.

“I thought a vampire couldn’t come into a dwelling unless they were invited,” David mused stepping back to let him in.

“That’s a fallacy, if a regular person can gain access to it so can we,” Dmitri explained, “there are so many myths out there it is a bit ridiculous. But I didn’t come here to discuss that, it’s about the night shoot tomorrow.”

“What about it?”

“It wasn’t on the original schedule, it’s been moved up. And the script has been changed. Usually these things are not done so quickly and without consulting the writers! I think it would be best for you to have all your friends on hand for it, I fear something is in the works, and that something isn’t good,” the vampire gestured at the door, “and on my way here I noticed a lot more hangers on than normal.”

“How many of these ‘hangers on’ are vampires?” David asked.

“More than you want to know, it’s almost like they’re gathering for…” Dmitri stopped unwilling to vocalise the thought that came leaping to mind, “anyway, I really suggest you bring back up tomorrow.”

“I wish that garlic myth worked,” the actor sighed, “it would be so much easier just to wear a clove under my shirt or something.”

“It might repel unwanted advances of the romantic type, but that’s about it. Besides I’ve seen the shirt you wear as part of your costume, and you’d never get away with it,” Dmitri laughed, then he opened the door to the caravan, “Let me walk you to your car. And please promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise,” David assured him.

As the car drove off Dmitri turned around to find he was surrounded. He had been so focused on getting the actor off safely he had completely disregarded his own well being.

“Traitor!” one of the gathered spat out, “you were warned, now you will pay.”

Many hands reached for him, and he was pulled into the midst and rather than even attempt to fight he let the tidal wave carry him along.

\------

The hotel room was bustling with activity when David arrived. The TARDIS was parked in one corner of the room and Miranda and The Doctor were comparing keys.

David waited until a break in the conversation to relay what Dmitri had told him. The Doctor’s eyes grew dark, “you will be safe,” he assured the actor, “I will be there.”

Miranda spoke up, “it sounds like it would be good for all of us to be on hand.”

The Master snorted, “what will you do? Throw your lipstick at them?”

“I don’t see you offering to help,” she shot back.

“Of course I’ll help!” The Master replied. All sets of eyes turned to him in stunned disbelief, “I have to do something to stop from growing mad with boredom,” he shrugged by way of explanation.


	25. Chapter 25

When Dmitri returned to consciousness he found he was locked in a small room, perhaps a broom closet and by the smell of others close by was most likely surrounded. He had been stripped of his mobile so he was unable to call for help.

He found a place to lean against and shook his head ruefully; he had known it was foolish and dangerous to side with a mortal against his fellow kind. But there were so many good reasons to keep the tall Scot from the competition’s clutches.

He had heard of punishments meted out for those who betrayed other vampires but usually that involved killing one or something more dire than keeping a potential power source from a rival brood. He had no idea what would be considered just punishment for his ‘crimes’ if justice was what they were truly after.

Deep into his thoughts Dmitri didn’t notice the door was opening until the light shone in his eyes, a rather imposing vampire, probably a body builder as a mortal, stepped in and without a word grabbed him by the arm and led him out.

He was brought into a dimly lit room and shoved forward to come to rest in front of a female vampire sat at a huge desk, in what was clearly an office of some sort. Deciding to take the offensive Dmitri spoke before she could, “I demand to be let go, you have no right to imprison me!”

The woman laughed, “you have no authority here,” with that she stood up, “and for someone who has clearly broken code of conduct, you have no rights, period!”

“Then take me in front of the high council,” Dmitri shot back, “you are not in a position of authority and I do not recognise you as having any jurisdiction over me.”

The vampire’s smile vanished as she rounded the desk, “rules state that if you attack another vampire that vampire is justified in protecting his or herself. I’ll simply tell them that you tried to harm me and I have witnesses,” she gestured at her assembled goons, “and they’d back me up.”

With that she leaned in, “but I haven’t decided what your punishment should be yet,” then nodded to the same vampire who dragged him into the room, “take him back to the holding pen and we’ll deal with him later.”

As the vampire clamped his huge hands on Dmitri, the woman grinned widely, “if you want to struggle go ahead, I’m sure Micah would love the excuse to be able to rough you up just a bit.”

Micah’s eyes lit up in anticipation, and Dmitri decided it was best to just play along, for now.

\------

The hotel room had gone silent David had ordered in food from room service just out of habit but no one, with the exception of The Master, seemed interested. As the Time Lord dove into the spread David wondered if he had a tape worm or something as the piled high plate was emptied and refilled twice in the time it took the actor to drink a glass of water.

“Enjoying yourself?” David asked when The Master came up for air.

“It’s not the worst I’ve had,” the Time Lord grumbled around a mouthful of food, “but it’s certainly not the best.” With the he turned away from the man clearly deciding the conversation was over.

Wandering over to where Miranda and The Doctor were still chattering on David got a good look at the keys, “any luck?” he asked.

The Doctor sat back and removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes, “I get nothing from them. Whoever handled them last was careful not to leave an imprint of any sort on these things,” he gestured at the two nearly identical keys.

“May I?” David reached down and picked up the keys and held examined them carefully.

“There’s nothing on them, no serial numbers, no model numbers, nothing!” Miranda offered, her voice strained.

“They remind me of safety deposit box keys,” the actor offered, setting them back down.

At that The Doctor and Miranda exchanged incredulous looks then both of them smiled widely. The Time Lord stood up and clapped David on the shoulder, “of course!” he laughed then gave the actor an affectionate kiss on the top of his head, “you are a genius!” 

“Don’t get too happy,” David replied, “you still have to find where the box is or boxes are.”

Miranda refused to be daunted by this, “I can run a search on banks the museum has accounts with and go from there, The Doctor’s right, you are a genius!”


	26. Chapter 26

Listening to the game plan being drawn up David didn't want to be the wet blanket but finally he chimed in, "doesn't it seem odd that these keys are just now showing up? It's almost like someone has been seeding them....or like bread crumbs in 'Hansel and Gretel'..."

The Doctor paused at this, "you're right! I wonder if whoever is doing this is trying to point the vampires in a certain direction, or it's meant for us?"

Miranda picked up a key and regarded it thoughtfully, "wonder what is in the box or boxes?"

"I don't know," the thin Time Lord breathed out in a sigh, "but I can't help feeling that whatever it is isn't so much of a treasure as a trap."

"Dmitri warned me today that something big was going on, but he wouldn't tell me the particulars," David offered, "I don't know if he couldn't or didn't know himself."

"He's taking great personal risks helping us out," The Doctor explained, "there are some very basic rules of conduct for most societies and almost everyone has a 'take care of one's own' edict."

The Master set down his plate with a soft belch, "speaking of the little blood sucker," he looked around the room, "where is he?"

"Last time I saw him he was on set still, he insisted on walking me to my car, " David replied, "but I haven't seen him since."

"Should we be worried?" Miranda asked.

The Doctor shrugged, "he is perfectly able to take care of himself, he doesn't need our babysitting him. He's probably off hunting or whatever they call that now. I'm sure he's fine."

\------

Dmitri, was, however far from fine. In fact he was almost weak from hunger, angry at his treatment and getting a bit worried, should truth be told. 

Secrecy was sacred amongst most vampire-kind, only the brood that one belonged to would be informed of one's whereabouts and his brood was in London, not here in the States. He really doubted the Time Lord would come looking for him straight away, given their slightly uneasy relationship. 

He could see in The Doctor's eyes that his means of sustenance was not something the Time Lord felt comfortable with and in fact he down right disapproved. It was only due to his helping to rescue David from the rival brood's clutches and his continued help in keeping the actor from harm that he was allowed to continue.

Shaking his head slowly he imagined that The Doctor's uneasy tolerance of him would quickly change if he failed to protect the tall Scot. 

'But who was going to protect me?' Dmitri sighed and testing the door once again found it still to be securely locked. 

\------

Miss Kain was also feeling restless. She turned a key in her hand thoughtfully. These keys were showing up at strange intervals and even odder locations, and it seemed to be increasing in frequency.

The rumour was that they led to a potion that was reported to elevate a common vampire to almost god like powers. The fact that they started being found only recently was tied to the sheer number of vampire-kind congregating in New Mexico in hopes of tasting the blood of the mixed breed prey.

'With his blood in my veins and the legendary potion thrown on top of that, what heights of power could I reach?' she smiled softly to herself. Then her smiled dimmed as she thought of the layers of protection surrounding the actor. 

'One less,' she laughed shortly thinking of Dmitri securely locked away.

Tapping her nails on her desk, she imagined her army of loyal followers immobilising the Time Lords and that pesky girl, Miranda. Perhaps dispatching them permanently!

Her tongue ran over her lips in anticipation of the first taste of that not-quite-human blood. 'It will be so!' she promised herself as she rose from the chair and set out into the night.


	27. Chapter 27

After everyone had turned in for the night, safely tucked up in the TARDIS which sat on one corner of the hotel room The Doctor was still examining the keys. None of his scientific bag of tricks had produced anything so he made himself comfortable in one of the cowhide chairs in the suite's sitting room, holding one key in each hand and closed his eyes.

The telepathic ability of his race was well known throughout the universe. In fact many Time Lords never spoke a word aloud and preferred to communicate solely through telepathy, much to the chagrin of less capable beings.

Becoming one with the very essence of the metal in his hands he dove into the sense memories they contained and began to get a picture of the fingers that had held them before. Their auras more than their physical form but still that energy signature was just as identifiable to him as a face would be to anyone else. 

Once he had an idea, a feel for the energy he could change his focus and find those beings. 

Problem was that the one key appeared to be handled so frequently he was picking up conflicting and confusion information. It was like trying to watch a movie being rewound at high speed the lines tracing back felt almost like tiny jolts in his mind and his body twitched involuntarily.

Suddenly with a startled cry he dropped the keys, and his eyes flew open. His hearts pounding in his chest he took a moment to compose himself before picking the keys back up and carefully putting them in his jacket pocket. Then taking his own key out, the key to the TARDIS, he opened the door to his beloved time capsule and went inside.

\------

Miss Kain went into the vault, and straight to the box that up until the moment she opened it to reveal nothing inside, she had thought contained the key. 

'Who had taken it?' she fumed. Surely not that wide eyed simpleton Miranda? No, the woman had no access codes and no way of getting them.

Suddenly she flashed on the Time Lord, some how he had escaped through trickery no doubt, just as she was about to get her first taste of alien blood. She had dismissed that from her mind assuming that when he got away he had done the sensible thing and just saved his hide.

But now, looking around the vault she noticed things were definitely out of place. The box containing the key was not the only thing put back out of order. The carton that had held the vial of was also empty! 

The key was the bigger loss, it held the secret the way to the ultimate prize, and she knew that in order to achieve the level of might and power that she so richly deserved it was crucial for her to get it back!  
\------

In the labs The Doctor removed the vial he had taken from the vault. The minute he had tasted the contents he knew what it was. Hoping he was wrong he opened it carefully and taking glass pipette withdrew a few drops and placed it on a slide.

The ruby red colour and the rich iron smell with the slight hint of cinnamon hit his acute senses as he bent forward to peer into the eye piece of the microscope. 

He sat back with a groan, his worst fears confirmed. If the vampires found the source if they got their teeth into this the whole universe could be in danger. Looking around the lab he wondered how much the vampires knew of this, and how they had even come across it! 

Some one was leading them on, leading them toward the source but why? Who would even know aside from himself and... He stopped there as the cold realisation hit him. Only a handful of beings knew about the source, and only one of them wanted to destroy it. He closed his eyes, hoping it was just the fatigue making him paranoid.

Somehow the keys were, well the key. It was important, more than important, he corrected himself, to find out what secrets they would unlock. He had to get there before they did and destroy whatever those keys would reveal. 

Maybe it was time to find Dmitri and find out how much the vampire knew. Hopefully they could stop this!


	28. Chapter 28

Clearly keeping in mind the Albert Einstein quote "insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" Dmitri, nonetheless, tried the door again. 

This time the knob turned easily in his hands and he opened it cautiously. The guards were gone and by the absence of the scent of others he realised he had been left alone. Not allowing himself to be too caught up with joy, fully realising this could be a trap he stepped into the room. A quick check down the hallway and then he decided to go for it!

He was almost all the way out the door when two vampires approached the building. Diving quickly under some bushes he lay flat, hoping the wind would not take his cover away. They passed by him pausing only briefly. This is where if his heart was still beating, it would have stopped with fear. Luckily the pause was to dig out key cards for the building and not to rouse him from his hiding place.

Dmitri waited before coming out of the bushes, knowing full well that until the lights of the building were a mere twinkle in the distance and if he were honest, even long after that, he was not safe, he took off at a dead run into the night.

\--------

David stirred in his sleep, the dream he was trapped in was a jumble of confusion and frightening images. He was surrounded by creatures of every shape and size and all had bright red, glow in the dark eyes. Fangs dripped with blood, and instinctively he knew that the blood was his.

His rational mind kept reminding him he was dreaming, but the imagery felt so real and try as he might he couldn't make himself wake up. 

The most terrifying part wasn't that he was trapped it was the decimated corpse, half devoured, laying in a heap in one corner of the room. The face untouched but the body ravaged, the face was identical to his...

Thrashing out in his nightmare his arm knocked over the light next to the bed. The sound of it crashing to the floor finally woke him out of this sleep. He sat up, drenched in sweat, heart pounding so loud he was sure anyone in a neighbouring room would hear it.

Righting the fallen lamp he got out of bed and stood in the middle of the room, his flight or fight instincts hitting him so hard he almost shook with the effort to remain still. 

The TARDIS turned the lights up in his room, knowing that darkness was no longer welcome. He smiled despite his terror at this, and patted one of the glowing walls affectionately before heading in the bathroom for a glass of water.

\--------

It was hard to not laugh outright over the found keys, he smiled to himself. The ruse was so easy to pull off! He never meant for the keys to fall into non-vampire hands but it was working out for the better. He just hoped that they found the clues he had left for them and got the plans he had carefully drawn up leading them to the source before The Doctor and his cast of misfits caught on and thwarted them.

He shifted a bit, biting back the laugh that was bubbling up from his chest. How long had he waited for this? The minute he learned of this dangerous creation, one that threatened his very existence he knew it had to be stopped. Biding his time he waited for the right opportunity, and these vampires were perfect. He could be rid of this abomination and the potential it had to rise up against him.

The laugh could not be denied any longer as he recalled how easy it was to get the simple minded to swallow the legend hook line and sinker. It had helped that he had treated the keys with an ageing process that made them look much older than they were. After that a deliberately and carefully arranged apparent slip of the tongue in a very public place the rumour grew like wildfire and within a week was an established fact.

That was not surprising, he snorted to himself, the weak minded were like putty in his hands, always had been, and always will be. The sharp wit of the thin Time Lord was his only potential obstacle but he had thrown so many confusing twists and turns at him that surely he was thrown off the scent.

Allowing himself a moment to bask in his own brilliance he chuckled at the image of The Doctor finally discovering the truth, too late of course. The look of betrayal that would surely be in those large dark, expressive eyes as he realised how badly he'd been played.

Delicious.


	29. Chapter 29

As he made his way back to bed David heard someone calling his name. He thought at first it was Miranda, but after listening again he was not quite sure. Then the voice went silent. He had just crawled back into the covers when he heard it again. This time it echoed through his room and seemed to be coming from somewhere out side of the TARDIS.

Had Miranda gone into the hotel room and was now in trouble? He wondered as he headed down the ramp to open the doors and find out.

The minute the TARDIS doors closed behind him he was slammed to the ground, he had just enough time to see a pair of bright red eyes glowing down at him, and feel the sharp sting of teeth biting into his neck before his whole world went black.

\---------  
The Doctor had only gained the hotel's car park when suddenly he found himself surrounded. Many red eyed and impressively large vampires form a phalanx around him, two grabbing his arms pinning them back and holding him immobile.

Just as he wondered what this was all about Miss Kain, or Julie, or whatever she was calling herself now stepped out of the shadows. In one hand was a piece of parchment, in the other was...the Time Lord's eyes grew wide with horror as he realised what she was holding.

"Where did you get that?" he asked trying to keep his voice level.

She smiled at him, by way of an answer, dangling the object just out of his reach. Not that he could snatch it from her, he couldn't move, but it was still satisfying to taunt him with it.

Not willing to let it go The Doctor repeated his question, "where did you get that?" he asked this time his voice low and dark. 

"From me of course," a voice called out from the night, then stepped into the light of the lamp post.

The Doctor's hearts seemed to stop in his chest as he realised who had betrayed him. The Master's smile as the penny dropped with a sickening thud grew wide.

"Why are you doing this?" 

"Because I can!" The Master laughed, "don't look so surprised. I warned you that I was getting bored and you know by now that I'm dangerous when bored."

Eyeing the object Miss Kain was still holding in front of him The Doctor spat, "I will not let you into the TARDIS!"

"I have the key," Miss Kain countered reasonably.

"And now," The Master continued, "we have leverage."

"What does that mean?" The Doctor asked even though it was suddenly all too clear what The Master meant as one of the vampires walked forward holding a deathly pale, limp and barely breathing David in his arms. The bite marks on his neck looked raw and were still dripping blood slowly to the ground.

"He's not dead," The Master assured him, "not yet, anyway."

Miss Kain put the TARDIS key in her pocket and stepped in close, "if you do not take us to the source, we will finish draining him, feed him our blood and make him one of us."

"I don't understand!" The Doctor was shouting, "what is the source?"

"For such a clever being," The Master laughed, "you can be so incredibly thick. Let's see if you can work this out. I'll give you a hint, just in case, if drinking a mongrel's blood, a very diluted mix of human and Time Lord makes them strong. Just think of what a half and half would do?"

The thin Time Lord recoiled, "the meta-crisis?" he gasped, "you're going to lead them to John?"

"I prefer to think of it as killing two birds, no wait," The Master pretended to count, "make that three birds with one stone. The mongrel is harmed, possibly dead or a vampire, the half breed gets destroyed and you suffer."

With that he rubbed his hands together in anticipation, "how could it get any better than this?"


	30. Chapter 30

In order to back up their threat the vampire holding David set him on the ground, and leaned over the actor forcing his lips apart. Then the vampire pulled up his sleeve, pressing a pocket knife to his own wrist, holding it over the unconscious man’s mouth.

The Doctor frowned, clearly torn. His eyes went from David to Miss Kain to The Master then back at David. As the eyes scanned him once again The Master smiled, “this is beyond your control, you will do as I say, there is no other option!”

"I will stop you,” the thin Time Lord hissed, “bet on it.”

The Master raised a hand miming someone talking, “blah, blah, blah. Spare me your empty threats. Now you will bring the TARDIS to me, unlock the controls so that I can pilot it or your pet will become one of them. And I’m pretty sure you would never forgive yourself for that.”

Then nodding to one of the large vampires holding The Doctor, “take him to the room, and have him bring the blue box to me,” then looking at his fellow Time Lord he smiled, “don’t try anything heroic. If you are not back in two minutes, with that heap of yours, I will give the go ahead,” he gestured at the prone David.

The Master half hoped The Doctor would delay past his deadline, he was fascinated by the process of an ordinary human, or in this case a mongrel’s journey to becoming a blood sucker, but within a minute the TARDIS appeared.

With a disappointed sigh he let himself into the time capsule, “now you’ve unlocked the controls?” he asked flicking a few switches and hearing the TARDIS respond he smiled, “such an obedient lad,” he teased. Then his face grew serious, turning to Miss Kain and two of the larger vampires, “I’ll secure him, you go find the woman and throw her out of here, then we can go.”

Setting David down with a thump on the grating the two vampires went up the ramp towards the bedrooms. Moments later they had Miranda suspended between them, one holding her legs, the other her arms. The Doctor had to smile at the string of obscenities issuing forth as they opened the doors and literally tossed her out.

His smile faded quickly as he felt the cold metal of a stasis collar being snapped around his neck. The Master’s face, however, was in a smile so wide it was almost blinding. Before The Doctor could say anything else the collar was switched on and he went completely still.

\-------

Dmitri arrived just in time to see Miranda cursing and screaming to be let back in and the TARDIS disappearing from sight.

"I came to warn you..." his voice trailed off.

"Yeah, well you're too late!" Miranda snapped, then reaching her hand out she attempted a smile, "sorry it's not your fault."

Dmitri shook his head sadly, "this will not end well," he sighed looking at the space that used to contain the time machine before slowly walking away.

\-------

John was sitting at the kitchen table, an ice cold cup of tea held in his hands. The words, “something is coming,” kept flashing in his head.

When Violet came downstairs after waking up alone, she saw her husband frozen in place. Standing behind him she slipped her arms around his stiff form, “what’s wrong love?” she kissed his check.

“Something is coming,” he spoke, his voice curiously flat, sounding almost mechanical, “something is coming….”

She pulled away and saw that he was expressionless and was staring into space, “John?” she shook him gently, trying not to give into the panic as he didn’t come around, “what is it?”

He looked around the room his eyes still unfocused, seeming to seek out something, “you need to get out of here, go to Pete’s house, lock yourself in Torchwood, hide away!”

“John?” Violet tried to hold him again but he jerked away, “what’s going on?”

He jumped to his feet, his breath coming in short bursts, “something is coming!”

“What is? What’s coming?” Violet asked trying again to get her clearly agitated husband into her arms.

“Get out!” John shouted, making her jump, “get out now!” 

Losing it Violet grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard, “you’re scaring me!” she almost yelled at him.

Suddenly his eyes rolled back in his head and he dropped to the ground falling heavily on his side in an almost foetal position. Violet got down next to him and quickly rolled him over on his back. Then she put her ear to his chest, relieved that his one heart was still beating.

As she straightened up his eyes came open, “this is different,” he pulled her to him, then looking around he frowned, “what are we doing on the kitchen floor?

“You were in a trance, or something,” she looked into his eyes, seeing the life back in them with a sigh of relief.

John made no attempt to move, "I felt The Doctor briefly in my mind but then he was suddenly gone..."

“You kept saying ‘something is coming’! What does that mean?”

“I have no idea, but if I had to guess I’d say that something must be coming,” his frown deepened, “and that something probably isn’t good.”

 

 


End file.
